Earthvision Battle Royale 2024
The Earthvision Battle Royal 2024, also known as the EBR 2024, Earthvision 2024, or more simply Cambodia 2024, was the 9th edition of the annual Battle Royale contest that took place in country. A total of 193 nations took part and sent one citizen to this event. The Earthvision consisted of four semi-finals, the first two starting on June 2 at 12 pm and 6 pm, while the third and fourth semi-finals starting on the 3rd at the same time. The host nation, Cambodia,was the winning nation of the 2023 edition the previous year, which meant that they automatically qualified to the Grand Final for this year's edition. The other 192 nations were drawn randomly into pots - regardless of country location - and distributed into the four semi finals. There, each citizen would compete in a fight to the death until 12 remain. The qualifiers from each semi-final would then be rescued from the arena and 8 days later would make up the 48 (including the host nation) in the Grand Final. Each nation was allowed to pick their citizen in any way they choose, as long as they are picked before 2 March. Arena The Arena used for this year's Battle Royale was the actual island of Roh Kong. There was much controversy in this decision because it would be necessary to displace the couple thousand residents on the island to use for the event. Many nations petitioned and tried to get the EOs to step in or risk withdrawing their citizen. In the end, the EOs made sure that the displaced citizens received equal or better housing than before. The choice was made because of the extreme budget limitations that the Cambodian EOs had, due to the country being poor. Format and Rules The draw to determine which nation would compete in which semifinal as well as the pod number for the host country took place in capital of host country, December of previous year. Host was selected to start on Pod x. Each competing nation had to declare their intent to join by December 1st, and declare their competing citizen by March 2, 2024. Most countries picked their citizen through an internal selection. These are done when the governments hold a nationally televised lottery where citizens are assigned a set of numbers, and are chosen if their numbers are picked. There are millions of cases each year where people try to volunteer for to be their nation's citizen. In this situation, the volunteers are given as many lottery numbers as they can buy (in some countries they cost as little as $2, while in bigger countries like the US, Russia, Australia, etc. prices can go up to $1000 each), so the chances one of their number combinations is picked goes up. Though the vast majority of citizens picked embrace their fate and their chance to take part in this romanticized gladiator-style event, most governments dispatch thousands of personnel across their country so that they can reach their chosen citizen within minutes of being selected, just in case one tries to run away. In the meantime, citizen's are usually invited to multiple locations across the globe as to promote themselves and their country, create alliances, and get sponsors. While there are tens to hundreds of unofficial smaller parties all around the world, the biggest and most watched are the Official pre-parties sanctioned by the EOs. It is not required to go on tour to any of these parties; the decision is entirely up to the government and how much they want to spend their strictly-defined EO imposed budget on it ($500,000 per nation). The schedule for these major ones are: *Hollywood, USA - 8 March *London, England - 15 March *Helsinki, Finland - 23 March *Tunis, Tunisia - 6 April *Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - 12 April *Bali, Indonesia - 21 April *Brisbane, Australia - 25 April After being chosen, the citizens took part in a press conference outside their home and the build-up started. Depending on how early or late their national reaping was, they either stayed at their home (under close discreet surveillance), went on tour, or were transported immediately to the host country where they and the hundreds of other citizens stayed in a citizen-only village. They were allowed to have family and friends come and visit them up until the day before the citizen competed in the Battle Royal. All citizens had to arrive exactly one month prior to the first semi-final, in order for them to have enough time to train and acclimate to the surroundings. The EOs provided each citizen with a personal team that includes trainers, stylists, cooks, field specialists, etc. For the month or two that the citizens were there, they were encouraged to learn survival skills and do strength training so they could improve their survival chances (and provide a great entertainment show). The evening before the first semi-final, the Opening Ceremony took place. Comparable to the ceremonies of the Olympic Games, this one celebrated Cambodian history and culture and included many pyrotechnics, acts and performances, music, and fireworks. The Parade of Nations took place shortly afterwards, which included each citizen pulled by a high-tec chariot decorated to represent their country, surrounded by an entourage of performers showing off that country's culture and national symbols, all of which was led by their national flag. Speeches were held by the EOs and the x government, followed by citizen oaths and raising of flags. Finally, the cauldron was lit to symbolize the official start of the Battle Royale, to be extinguished only by the winner of the Grand Final themselves. Following the Opening Ceremony, all citizens went on a lockdown. They were not permitted to leave their building or have access to any outside information that could have helped them in the Arena. Citizens in semi-finals two, three, and four were not allowed to view or have any knowledge of what happens in the semi-final that occurs before theirs as well. This was to ensure that the suspense is kept and no citizen had an unfair advantage over an other. Qualification 193 Nations participated in this edition of the Earthvision Battle Royale, with forty-eight nations in each semi-final. Semi-Final 1 The first semi-final lasted from 12 pm on June 2nd to 9 am on June 6th. Semi-Final 2 The second semi-final took place from 6 pm on June 2nd to 8:32 pm on June 5th. Semi-Final 3 The third semi-final took place from 12 pm on June 3rd to 11:20 am June 8th. Semi-Final 4 The fourth semi-final took place from 6 pm on June 5th to 10:57 pm on June 8th. Preparation for the Grand Final Pod Order The draw for the pot order, which determines where around the Cornucopia a nation's citizen is to stand and take off for it when the Battle starts, was held on June 20th. It is seen as important because a citizen who gets drawn towards the middle is in a direct straight line to the Cornucopia and slightly closer, as oppose to those at either end who are further away and at an angle. Live Coverage of the Grand Final Welcome to the start of the Earthvision Battle Royale 20x. In just over 5 minutes, 48 citizens representing countries from all across the globe will be raised onto their pods going into the Arena, and in what will likely be two and a half weeks, one will emerge as the sole victor. One can only imagine how nervous and anxious the competing countries' fans are, and how even more nervous the citizens must be! Day 1 (16 June) Jannat Lone of is killed by Nhek Reasmey of . Estevan Tocci of is killed by Madeleine Charbonneau of . Day 1 Recap Well it's the end of Day 1 and many spectators are wondering where the action is! Only two tributes died, while the other 46 were able to successfully scatter about the beautiful resort-looking island that has so far already seen hundreds of deaths. The one silver lining from this boring day is that the first kill came from the host nation's very own citizen, Nhek, when the citizens were battling it out at the Cornucopia, giving them a lot of hope that they can do a repeat. Two tributes died, 46 remain. Day 2 (17 June) Ivan Lyobenov of is killed by Esteban De Sarro of . Darell Norton of is killed by Essayas Nazwari of . Andra Tristiltins of is killed by Victoria Edwards of . Maksimilian Aliyev of is killed by Victoria Edwards of . Day 2 Recap Today was a bit more exciting as there were 4 deaths to report. The day started with the Macedonian tribute being hacked to death by Esteban of Panama while he was hunting at the rainforest edge. Next, Essayas of Djibouti caught Darell of Trinidad and Tobago sleeping under a bush in the higher parts of the island. He quickly strangled him to death. Later towards the evening, the Irish citizen caught two allies from Latvia and Belarus trying to hunt fish in the water. She stalked them for a bit before attacking; shooting the Latvian citizen in the back of the head with an arrow and when the Belarusian citizen dropped in shock, shot him too. Four citizens died, 42 remain. Day 3 (18 June) Nizsm Daher of is killed by Constantia Toledo of . Abijah Pymer of is killed by Lucas Leroux of . Obadiah Foster of is attacked and stung to death by a muttation stingray. Day 3 Recap Today's citizen of the day has to be Lucas of France! He's one of the youngest citizens, and he just got his first kill, and what a kill it was! One of the top favorites, Abijah of Kenya, was wandering the northern part of the island under the canope of rainforest when all of the sudden the small teenager from France jumped out of a tree covered in mud and landed straight on Abijah, breaking his back! The French citizen took a wooden club and beat at Abijah until the fireworks signaled his death, took his belongings, and ran off into the forest. Three citizens died, 39 remain. Day 4 (19 June) Attention Citizens! A huge earthquake has just occurred offshore and a tsunami has been spotted! You have one minute to get to safety! Abishai Hutaurat of is left for the tsunami after being left horribly maimed by Mannie Joaquin of . Wessam Safar of is crushed in the tsunami. Aarif Soliman of is pummeled into a tree by the tsunami and dies. Arthur Boutet of drowns in the tsunami. Essayas Nazwari of is killed by Bhashkar Brahmachari of during the tsunami. Zebulon Milligen of is crushed by the waves and dies. Aphra Ross of drowns in the tsunami. Latecia Walton of is killed by Dany Mesny of during the tsunami. Rylen Bauer of is killed by Esteban De Sarro of during the tsunami. Bai Chow of is killed by Garen Avakian of during the tsunami. Salamah Bourequat of is pulled out to sea during the tsunami and drowns. Dorian Gowases of is killed by Samuel Doran of during the tsunami. Freddie Houghton of is swallowed up by the waves after being knocked out by Meherka Taye of . Victoria Edwards of drowns in the tsunami. Patrik Hammer of is killed by Alexei Osipenko of during the tsunami. Conner Tillman of falls from his hiding place in a tree and drowns in the water. Day 4 Recap How things have changed! With such a slow start, the Event Organizers must've realized they needed to act fast to keep viewer interest, and they sure did live up to the hype! The tsunami was massive and fast-moving. Many of the citizens who died were those near the shore who couldn't reach higher ground in time. Like they say, may luck be in your favor! Some surprise deaths include the citizens of Morocco, Namibia, Djibouti, Ireland, and Australia. Sixteen citizens died, 23 remain. Day 5 (20 June) Lucas Leroux of is killed by Gianpiero Fugazzi of . Day 5 Recap After the hectic massacre yesterday, today was a lot more tame and quiet on the beautiful island that has seen so much bloodshed. Around midday, Gianpiero of San Marino spotted small Lucas of France huddled under a tree, apparently injured. He saw Gianpiero approaching him and tried to run away but he couldn't move. Gianpiero mercifully killed him with no hint of savagery. One citizen died, 22 remain. Day 6 (21 June) Lena Jepsen of is killed by Alexei Osipenko of . Nhek Reasmey of is killed by Tulaiha Abu of . Meherka Taye of is killed by Garen Avakian of . Day 6 Recap A whole nation groans in agony and disappointment! Their own citizen Nhek was early today killed by the Qatari citizen. Many thought he could go all the way but it was not to be. Cambodia should be proud, considering that most of the past host nation's citizens always ended up dying early. He made it to the top half and for that Cambodia should be happy. Three citizens died, 19 remain. Day 7 (22 June) Sezgin Yakut of is killed by Madeleine Charbonneau of . Mali Jacobs of is killed by Madeleine Charbonneau of . Day 7 Recap Both Turkey and Israel were eliminated by the Canadian who is quickly becoming the bookmakers favorite to win. They both happened in the same manner: Madeleine would walk around the forest after spotting one, and blowing a poisonous dart at them from the safety of the bushes. She wouldn't reveal herself and would watch the citizens die minutes later before rummaging through their supplies. Two citizens died, 17 remain. Day 8 (23 June) Ravati Bhagat of is killed by Selah Kaujeau of . Day 8 Recap Not much occurred today. One citizen died, 16 remain. Day 9 (24 June) Selah Kaujeau of is killed by Marlen Akmentzhanev of . Marlen Akmentzhanev of dies of stab wounds. Day 9 Recap The battle between Burundi and Turkmenistan, last year's runners-up, ended in both their deaths. Selah got in a couple of stab punctures but for her, she died when Marlen stabbed her in the cheek, ouch! But just a couple hours later, the bleeding from Marlen's many stab wounds were too profuse and he bled out in the evening near the shoreline. Two citizens died, 14 remain. Day 10 (25 June) Jadeeda Doud of is killed by Mannie Joaquin of . Xavier Hurst of is killed by Bhashkar Brahmachari of . Constantia Toledo of is killed by Bhashkar Brahmachari of . Vildana Kadic of is killed by Tulaiha Abu of . Esteban De Sarro of is killed by Samuel Doran of . Day 10 Recap Today was exciting! A lot of major western nations fell, such as Spain, Panama, and the United States, leaving their millions of fans in disappointment. Five citizens died, 9 remain. Day 11 (26 June) Samuel Doran of is killed by Tulaiha Abu of . Garen Avakian of is killed by Tulaiha Abu of . Day 11 Recap We're getting down to the thick of it now! Only 7 tributes are alive now. The favorite to win is still Madeleine of Canada, but she is now closely followed by Tulaiha Abu of Qatar after her brilliant kills today! Bhashkar of Bangladesh is third favorite, while Alexei of Ukraine and Dany of Ghana are both fourth. Two citizens died, 7 remain. Day 12 (27 June) There were no events today. Day 13 (28 June) Madeleine Charbonneau of is killed by Mannie Joaquin of . Day 13 Recap The favorite to win has just been killed! She was spearing fish in the shallow turquoise water off shore, when Mannie from Ecuador tackled her to the floor and violently bashed her head while holding it underwater until she drowned. One citizen died, 6 remain. Day 14 (29 June) Tuaiha Abu of is viciously attacked and eaten by a muttation saltwater crocodile Bhashkar Brahmachari of is killed by Alexei Osipenko of . Day 14 Recap This is unbelievable! After the first favorite died, the second and then third favorite fell in quick succession! Now we are in the top 4, and once again Ukraine is in it for the second year in a row. Another thing to notice is the appearance of Ghana! They have two top 5 appearances already, including a win. Can they win it for a second time? San Marino makes its first appearance as well, while Ecuador manages it on their first time qualifying to the Grand Final! But nothing is decided and anyone can win. Who will it be? No one knows. Two citizens died, 4 remain. Day 15 (30 June) Mannie Joaquin of is killed by Gianpiero Fugazzi of . Day 15 Recap Things are getting extremely tense! Only three tributes remain and they are from Ukraine, San Marino, and Ghana. One citizen died, 3 remain. Day 16 (01 July) Alexei Osipenko of is killed by Dany Mesny of . Day 16 Recap We have a top 2! Will Ghana become the first country to win more than once? Or will the tiny microstate of San Marino surprise us all? I have a feeling we'll find out within the next couple hours! Day 17 (02 July) Dany Mesny of is killed by Gianpiero Fugazzi is killed of . End Ça y est! The winner of the 9th Earthvision Battle Royale is Gianpiero Fugazzi of San Marino, congratulations! Final Standings Closing Ceremony The Closing Ceremony took place the night of July X and celebrated the victory of winner and winning country, and overall the success of the Games in general. More cultural festivities, closing speeches, a montage of the most dramatic and noteworthy moments of the Battle Royale, and of course a slow-mo replay of the winning kill. Winner re-entered the stadium to thunderous roars and applause and, along with the prime minister of winning country, participated in the "passing down of the torch" segment of the Ceremony. The winner of the last Battle Royale, , passed down his/her golden laurel reef to new winner, to be worn around his/her head as a prestigious crown for all official appearances until he/she must pass down the same crown to the winner of the next Battle Royale. The Prime Minister of winning country accepted responsibility of his nation to host next year's games, while winner symbolically extinguished the cauldron, signaling the end of the xx Earthvision Battle Royale.